Roofing



Nov 28, 1950 H. e. GOSLJN 2,532,095

ROOFING Filed Oct. 11 1946 'FTTzi-l He?" bert fifiosiLm Patented Nov. 28, 1950 ROOFING Herbert G. Goslin, Augusta, Mich., assignor to Sherriff-Goslin 00., Battle Creek, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application October 11, 1946, Serial No. 702,619

4 Claims. (01. 108-7) The present invention relates broadly to surface covering material, and in its specific phases to shingles adapted for use on roofs and the like.

Ordinary asphalt shingles have been used for roofing for many years, and of those the plain rectangular shingle, and even the so-called Four-in-One shingles have had a tendency to curl in use and to blow up or flutter on windy days. This blowing up and fluttering reduces the life of the shingles by wearing them out and causing them to shed the stone particles (grits) on their upper face. To overcome this, there have been a great many peculiar shaped shingles proposed and marketed, wherein they would interlock in one way or another, thus tentatively fastening them down so that they would not blow up under relatively high winds. Many of these shingles, when laid, presented only one thickness over a major portion of the roof, had a moderately narrow overlap, and were not sufliciently sealed to prevent some fluttering under high winds, which in turn, decreased their active life.

In my Patent Number 1,934,666 issued November '7, 1933, I set forth a shingle which had a short horizontal cross slit near its lower right hand edge. This cross slit permitted the lower right hand corner of the shingle to be slipped under the side of the next lower adjacent shingle, so as to lock them together and largely eliminate the blowing up difiiculties inherent in many designs of shingles manufactured at that time. That construction, however, left the left hand lower corner of the shingles free, and an open passageway up under the shingle between the adjacent shingles on the next lower course. This allowed air under high winds to blow up under the shingle and cause a fluttering condition. That type of shingle also was a little difiicult to accurately lay, due to the shingles having to be spaced apart a constant distance in the horizontal rows, all without a positive spacing guide. Irresponsible workmen sometimes took advantage of this to stretch the shingle spacing sidewise, and even upward, so that less shingles would have to be laid on a given area of roof, all of which resulted in a narrow overlap and a less satisfactory job which tended to leak under driving rain.

The present invention has been developed as an improvement on my noted shingle construction with a view to its taking the place of same and eliminating most of the difilculties inherent in asphalt shingle roofing.

Accordingly, among the objects of the present invention, is the provision of an asphalt shingle or the like, both lower corners of which are locked in place when properly laid.

Another object is to provide a locking asphalt shingle which has a side projection for providing uniform sidewise -spacing of the shingles, and which blocks the passageway between shingles in the same horizontal course, thus preventing fluttering by substantially stopping air flow under the shingles.

Another object is to provide a side spacing projection on the side of each shingle, with such side spacer being of a suitable length and at a location permitting same, when the shingles are laid, to become an upward movement stop for the bottom lock of the next higher course of shingles, thus preventing undesired increase of exposure of the shingles during laying.

A further object is to provide shingles which may be cut from strip material without waste, and which when laid, will be curl proof, will require less repairs in use, will make laying easier, and will provide for better alignment and workmanship.

A further object is to provide an efiicient roofing element, which when laid, will present a pleasing symmetrical geometric appearance.

Still further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing related ends, the invention then, consistsof the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawing and the following description setting forth in detail certain means for carrying out the invention, such disclosed means illustrating, however, but one of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In the annexed drawing:

Figure lshows one form of the improved shingle of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows how shingles made according to Figure 1 may be cut from a strip of roofing without waste.

Figure 3 shows a plan view of a small section of roof laid according to the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, it will be noted that each shingle comprises a generally octagonal body I having a lower stub end 2 which is provided with relatively short aligned cross slits 3 and 4 which are used in connection with locking the lower or butt end of the shingle in place, as will be hereinafter described. The upper portion of the shingle is provided with a projecting stub end 5 having a sloping upper edge 6. The sidewise projecting ear I at the upper left hand edge of the shingle is of a size preferably corresponding identically with cut out portion 8 at the upper point of the shingle, as is obvious upon reference to the shingle cutting diagram shown in Figure 2. Nails 9 and Ill suffice to hold the shingles in laid position as is shown in Figure 3. These nails are covered by the next higher course of shingles, so that there is no rusting of the nails and rust staining of the shingles under conditions of use.

The problem which is involved in connection with the manufacture of shingles which are not :of rectangular shape, is that many of them cut to Waste. That, of course, is not only wasteful, lbut produces scrap material which must b disposed of in some manner. The shingles of the present invention, on the other hand, as is shown :in Figure 2, may be diagonally cut, preferably at 45, from strip stock which may be supplied in rolls, or even continuously from the stock forming machine. The solid lines shown in that view are the cutting lines, and the cutting of same may be carried on continuously by means of a roller cutter, or step by step by means of a stamping cutter.

This type of construction has the butts of the shingles in the center of the sheet, and thus the center portion may have a relatively heavy layer of asphalt and grits applied thereto, while the outer edges of the sheet may be left uncoated with grits, thus saving this material which would serve no purpose in the overlapped areas. The leaving of this edge area uncoated also presents an added advantage, in that when the roof has been laid and subjected to summer heat for a few seasons, the uncoated face portion will tend to fuse with the uncoated under-face of the overlying shingles and form an air-tight seal therewith, thus acting to further minimize fluttering of the shingles, under conditions of high wind, to an almost negligible amount.

These shingles are laid in manner illustrated more particularly in Figure 3. Here it will be noted that the ear 1 contacts the side edge of the next adjacent shingle in the same horizontal course to properly space the shingles in sidewise direction. At the same time, this ear thus closes the passageway which would normally be present between shingles in the same course, as is typically shown in my former Patent Number 1,934,666. This blocking of the passageway again holds back air which would otherwise tend to pass up between the shingles under conditions of r' high wind. This, of course, minimizes fluttering of the shingles under conditions of use, and extends the life of same to that extent.

The cross slits 3 and 4, on stub end 2 of the shingle, are preferably symmetrical and slightly longer than the sidewise projection of ear I. This permits tab ends H and l2 to be slipped under the adjacent edges of a pair of like shingles in the next lower horizontal course, as is typically shown in Figure 3. That locks the butt end of the shingle in place, so that it cannot blow up or curl, and also blocks the lower end of the passageway which extends up to ear 1, thus supplementing same in still further sealing that passageway.

The vertical length of ear 1 may be varied over a moderate range, and in preferred construction, the ear will-not only completely block the upper end of the space between shingles in the same horizontal course, but will also act as a shoulder against which tab end II will contact when the next higher course is slipped into place for nailing. These ears and tab ends thus determine the maximum exposure at which the shingles can be laid. This permits predetermination by the manufacturer of the minimum amount of overlapping which is necessary to produce a leak-proof roof, following which he can properly proportion the size of the ears in relation to the slits and thus make certain that the shingles cannot be laid with less than that amount of overlapping. The shingles produced in this manner and laid in accordance with this invention are symmetrical and present a highly pleasing geometrical appearance.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the article and combinations herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A roof made up of substantially octagonal shingles laid with one side of their body portion pointing down and one pointing up, the downward pointing side having a substantially rectangular stub extending downward therefrom, said stub being cross slit inward, substantially in alignment, less than half way from each of its side edges, the upward pointing side forming a stub extending at an angle of approximately 45 relative to the base of said shingle and having a sidewise projecting car at the lowermost point of its upper edge, said ear forming an outwardly projecting continuation of one side of the body of said shingle and suitably spacing the side edges of the bodies of said like shingles in a single horizontal course in manner checking updrafts and facilitating interlocking the slits of the lower stub with the corresponding side edges of the adjacent like shingles in the next lower course, each of said ears also being of a length such that their bottom edge is part way down the side of said body portion but just above the interlocking slits in the like shingles of the next higher horizontal course when laid on a suitable surface, whereby said ear acts as a stop cooperatin with the interlocked lower stub of the next higher shingle so that the exposure of the shingles, when laid, will not exceed a predetermined set maxi mum.

2. A shingle comprisin a generally octagonal body having substantially parallel vertical sides which terminate at their lower ends in two of the sloping edges of said octagon, stub projecting from the two opposite top and bottom sides of said octagon, the lower stub, which extends down from said sloping edges, being slitted crosswise a short distance from opposite sides to interlock with the sides of two other like shingles when laid on a surface in conventional shingling pattern, each of said slits being of a length just meeting the proper sidewise spacing of the next lower course of like shingles when interlocked therewith, the upper stub having its upper edge extending upwardly at an angle of approximately 45 relative to the base of said octagon at the lower stub, said upper stub having a sidewise projecting car at the lowermost point of its upper edge, said ear forming an outward offset continuation of that side of the shingle body and acting as a sidewise spacer and updraft seal between like shingles conventionally laid in the next lower horizontal course, said ear having its bottom edge just above the interlocking slits of the like shingles in the next higher horizontal course when conventionally laid on a suitable surface, whereby the side spacing is determined and the exposure of the shingles when conventionally laid will not exceed a predetermined set maximum.

3. A roof made up of interlocked shingles each of which has a substantially parallel-sided body portion with oppositely extending stubs which become upper and lower when laid, each of said shingles having an ear projecting sidewise from one of the parallel sides of the body thereof to form a stop and predetermine the minimum sidewise spacing of said shingles in a single course laid of same, the lower stub of said shingle being substantially symmetrical with the vertical centerline of said body while being narrower than same and provided with a pair of substantially aligned cross slits each of which extend approximately the same distance inward from the side edges of said stub with the adjacent ends of said slits being spaced apart approximately the same distance as the amount of sidewise projection of said ear, the distance between the cross slits and the lower edge of said ear determining the maximum upward exposure of the shingles when laid.

4. A shingle for use in forming a roof laid in courses and wherein the shingles in each course are in sidewise relation to each other and the shingles of the adjacent courses interlocked, said shingle having a body portion, stubs extending in opposite directions from said body portion and forming the top and bottom of said shingle, an ear projecting sidewise from the upper portion of one side of said body portion, said lower stub having a substantially rectangular shape which is narrower than the body portion of said shingle and substantially centered on the bottom of the same, said lower stub also having a pair of substantially aligned cross slits, each of which extends inward approximately the same distance with the space between the adjacent ends of the slits being approximately the same a the extension of said ear from the body portion, said ear being located a suitable distance above said slits so that when laid and the shingles interlocked it will close the space between adjacent shingles while acting as a stop engaging one of said slits in the stub of one on the adjacent next higher shingle, the distance between the cross slits and the lower edge of said ear determinin the maximum upward exposure of the shingles when laid.

HERBERT G. GOSLIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,576,090 Carpenter Mar. 9, 1926 1,934,666 Goslin Nov. 7, 1933 

